Professional storyteller takes Red Jacket sixth-graders down the Silk Road

Monday

Feb 5, 2018 at 7:33 PMFeb 5, 2018 at 7:33 PM

Period costume and props make imagining the trip easy and fun

By Denise Champagne dchampagne@messengerpostmedia.com

Who knew the cocoon of a worm could change the world?

The children in Beth North's sixth-grade social studies class at Red Jacket Middle School got a first-hand demonstration Friday of how a silkworm cocoon, softened in hot water, produces threads used to make some of the finest cloth the world has known.

Four of North's classes were treated to a presentation by Lorna Czarnota, a professional storyteller from Buffalo who has traveled to the area in Eurasia that was a major crossroads for trade in the Middle Ages.

Donning an ornate period costume, Czarnota set up a tent in the classroom with hanging silks, silk rugs and pillows for visitors to sit upon.

“We're going to do a little imaging,” she told students, introducing herself as Ziare, wife of Rashid who was going to escort them, as European traders. They were invited to picture themselves leaving the tent, just outside of Samarkand, to be escorted to Kashgar by a caravan with 100 camels and dozens of men to protect them from the bandits looking to steal the riches people brought to trade.

“You took your shoes off because we want to keep the rugs clean” she explained. “This would have happened in those days, as well, because as travelers, your feet would be dusty from the desert travel. Make sure you check them for scorpions,” she warned, noting she actually did check her own shoes when traveling around the area two years ago.

The children have been studying China, so Czarnota's presentation helps them visualize how things really were in 1310, the year in which they were told they were traveling.

Czarnota recounts the history in an interactive presentation, having students participate by pointing out areas on a map of the Silk Road and fielding questions.

“Kashgar is called the crossroads city because people come from all directions to get there,” she said. “Because it was a crossroads city and it attracted a lot of people, it would be a place to see many wondrous sights.”

Czarnota explained Silk Road travelers would bring goods from Europe such as gold, silver, gems, ceramics, animals, plants and spices to trade in Cathay, a part of Asia that is now Northern China, where they could get porcelain, jade, bronze, furs and other goods.

But Cathay's most precious commodity — silk — was a well-kept secret until an emperor of the Han Dynasty sent Chang Qian as an ambassador to try to make friends with their enemies who imprisoned him for 13 years, during which he learned many things about their ways.

Upon his return, Chang Qian told of “heavenly horses,” much bigger and stronger than any in Cathay and how they could conquer their enemies by trading silk to acquire such majestic creatures.

Once the rest of the world saw the beauty and quality of the cloth, they wanted it and the demand initially made China very wealthy.

Then, Czarnota explained, Roman Emperor Justinian sent monks to Cathay to steal the secret of silk, which they did by smuggling silkworms and cocoons in hollowed-out walking staffs.

Two other inventions from China that changed the world were paper making and one she told the children could create great beauty and death, asking them to guess the item.

“What are fireworks made out of?” asked Czarnota, confirming a guess that the key ingredient is gunpowder.

“That was a secret that changed the world forever,” she said. “It all came out of there and it all goes back to Chang Qian letting silk out of the country. We owe a lot to the Chinese and the people who opened those doors,” noting other things of Chinese origin such as spaghetti, the compass and medicines.

North asked about the chopped fruit pieces on a plate in front of the storyteller, who began to pass the platter of figs, Turkish apricots and dates, suggesting everyone sample one of each.

“If I were living in the time period, I would be mortified that I forgot to offer my guests refreshments in their long travels,” she said, drawing laughter. “That should have been the first thing I did, as good manners. I apologize a thousand times, a thousand times, a thousand times. May the camel do his business on my doorstep if I ever forget again.”

The highlight was watching Czarnota draw individual strands of silk from a softened cocoon that had been soaking in hot water for hours and separating the threads on an old-fashioned wooden spinning wheel.

Each child was presented with two cocoons to take home, something sure to help them better understand and remember their lessons.

North said she learned of the program from teachers in Honeoye and Bloomfield schools where Czarnota has been presenting for years, including recent return visits before arriving at Red Jacket.

“Lorna visits our classrooms every year to help introduce, as well as supplement, our unit on ancient China,” said Erika Asquino, a social studies teacher at Honeoye Middle School. “She immerses the students in a simulation where they are travelers along a portion of the Silk Road. She talks with them about the multiple purposes of the Silk Road — exchanging goods such as silk, glass, spices, as well as ideas and religions.”

A favorite portion of her students is when Czarnota talks about how silk was discovered before bringing out the cocoons and loosening the fibers to spin on an actual wheel.

“The children are astonished that almost a mile of thread can come from one single cocoon,” Asquino said.

Ann Alden, a social studies teacher at Bloomfield Middle School, said Czarnota has been presenting to her classes for nine years on the Silk Road and Middle Ages.

“The presentations have always been informative and interesting,” she said. “The students love them every year.”

Superintendent Andy Doell said it is very powerful when someone can come in to provide students with a tangible learning experience.

“When I stopped in to catch some of Mrs. Czarnota's presentation to our students, it was very obvious that students were engaged and very interested,” he said.

Czarnota, who has been presenting similar programs in the region for 31 years, will be back in the spring to tell a story of the Middle Ages. More information on her may be found on her website at www.storyhavenstudio.com.

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